GACJ love story
by Gee-Blossom13
Summary: This story focuses on 4 different girls and neither of them know each other. They each meet a guy, and have dramatic relationships because of the people that are closest to them. Will everything work out between everyone? Read to find out.
1. Storyline

**Gacj storyline**

Gera: Gracie

Ashton: Ava

Cynthia: Cassidy

Jayla: Jade

Gracie – Justin

Ava – Christian

Cassidy – Ryan

Jade – Chaz

Gracie's sister: Cassandra

Ava'a best friend: Lena

Cassidy's best guy friend: Chad

Jade's enemy: Marissa

**None of these girls (Gracie, Ava, Cassidy, Jade) know each other at all, although Ava, Cassidy & Jade are based on real people. Gracie is ME in this story. This is about my best friends and me, but I've decided for each of our characters NOT to know each other to make it easier to write.**

Hope you enjoy the story!


	2. Gracie

_**Gracie's POV:**_

"Cassandra! Hey Cass, I'm going out for a walk, alright?"

My sister, Cassandra, is 18 years old. I'm 15. I favor her a little bit; we both have the same green eyes that sparkle in the sunlight, and our noses are sort of smallish, and a little bit pointy.

She has thick, long brown hair that stops at the middle of her back, while I have jet-black hair; our hair is the same length. Even though our features are the same, we're two different shades of color, me being the darker one. I always think of her as cinnamon, and I think of myself of as milk chocolate.

Cass ran down the long winding stairs and stood in front of me in our foyer. "Where are you going?" she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder, her classic trademark.

"I'm going to the park to practice my singing. It's the only place I can concentrate."

She nodded. "Do you have your cellphone? I need to be able to reach you."

I forgot to mention, Cassandra is _extremely_ protective of me. Ever since we lost our little sister Danni due to her being kidnapped, Cass never takes her eyes off me. It took her quite a while to start over, and even longer to let me start doing things that involved leaving the house.

Our dad left us last year, and then our mom passed not long after. Let's just say the past few years haven't exactly been very joyful.

"Yeah, I have it right here." I showed her my phone, put on my jacket, grabbed my guitar, and headed out of the door.

It was the beginning of fall, so it was just beginning to be slightly breezy outside. The cool air made my eyes water as I walked down my front walk, and onto the sidewalk toward the park.

When I saw the entrance to the park, I sped up so I could get to my special spot: under the Oak tree, with a view of the mountains.

The reason I was practicing my singing was because I wanted to try out to be in my high school talent show. I go to a rich school, so the 1st prizewinner gets to work with a music producer.

I sat down in my spot and started strumming the lyrics to When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus. I wasn't sure which song I wanted to sing yet, so I was just practicing random songs.

"_When I look at you, I see forgiveness, I see the truth…"_ I sang, staring out at the mountains. There was just something about this place that made me feel at ease.

When I finished singing, I heard someone clapping their hands behind me. I spun around quickly, and looked up at who was there.

It was a guy who looked about my age, with a mop of brown hair that swooped to the left. He was smiling down at me, and had finally stopped clapping.

I could tell my skin went pale. I hated when people snuck up on me while singing.

"You're amazing." He said, walking closer to me and sticking a hand out to help me up. I took it and he pulled me up off the ground.

"Th-thanks." I stuttered. Now that I realized it, he looked good. _Really good._

He laughed. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I smiled and said, "I'm sure I do. I get really freaked out when people hear me sing and I don't know they're listening."

"Oops, I'm sorry." He said, looking down.

"No, no it's okay seriously. You didn't know."

His eyes made contact with mine again. "Well, you should really think about going big with the talent you've got."

I smiled and nodded. "You think so?"

"Yes, I'm being so serious."

"Well, I'm practicing for my school's talent show. 1st prizewinner gets to work with a music producer. I didn't want to try out but my sister made me sign up."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? You weren't going to try out?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't like being the center of attention."

He nodded his head slowly, as if gathering everything I just said in his head.

"I'm glad your sister made you try out." He said, winking at me.

The sun was starting to set, so I checked my watch. It was 6:30. Cass was going to start getting anxious if I didn't check in.

"Is everything okay…uh…" He said, looking to me for help.

"Oh! Sorry, my name is Gracie."

"That's a pretty name. My name is Justin. Is everything alright?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah. I just have to check in with my sister before she goes on a panic attack."

He laughed. "Aren't parents the ones who have panic attacks when their kids don't check in?"

I looked up from my phone and started into his soft, brown eyes. "I don't have any parents."

His laughter stopped abruptly. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know…"

I shook my head. "It's alright. I've grown used to it now."

His eyes were still focused on his feet. "What happened to them…if you don't mind my asking?"

I looked around and led him to a nearby bench and we both sat down, and I turned my body toward Justin. "There were five of us. Me, my older sister Cassandra, my little sister Danni, and my parents."

He nodded, waiting for me to go on. "Then my little sister was…kidnapped. We found her, but she wasn't…alive." I said to him. Thinking about it made my stomach churn with disgust.

Justin placed his hand over top of mine. "I'm so sorry."

I nodded and continued. "That happened two years ago. Then last year, my dad couldn't take it anymore, so he left. My older sister, Cass, has been extremely over protective of me ever since.

"Then not too long after Danni's funeral, my mother get really sick, and then she passed three months after she found out she was sick. So that left Cass and I alone. Good thing she turned 18 before my mother died."

His gripped tightened around my hand, so I looked up at him. A single tear ran down his cheek. "That's horrible."

"Aw c'mon, don't cry. I'm not even crying!" I laughed, trying to make him stop thinking about it.

"You and your sister must be really strong then. I know I would just fall apart."

I nodded and just kept staring at him for a while. Then my phone buzzed.

"Hello?" I said, knowing the response I was about to receive.

"Oh my gosh, Gracie don't scare me like that! Why didn't you call me? I was worried sick!" Cass shouted on the other end of the phone. I looked up at Justin and smiled. He smiled back.

"I was just…talking to someone." I whispered, trying not to laugh.

"_Who?_ If I find out that you've been talking to some old man I'm gonna-"

"Cass chill! He's around the same age as me. You know I don't talk to adults I don't know."

"Well, hurry up and get back here. You can bring your friend I guess. But if you're not here in at least 20 minutes, I'll come down there and get you myself, okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, okay Cass. I'm leaving now." She hung up and I gathered my things.

"Well, I gotta get home before she completely loses her mind." I told him.

He stood up beside me. "Do you think the really won't mind it I come with you?"

I shrugged. "She's usually pretty chill about having people over. As long as she gets to ask her five question interview. She asks five random questions to anyone I introduce to her. And she takes it seriously."

"I think I can handle that. Let's go." He said to me, and he motioned for me to lead the way back to my house.


	3. Ava

_**Ava's POV:**_

I pulled out my cellphone and dialed Lena's number. We were going to be late if we didn't get to our musical audition for the public theatre club.

My name is Ava. I'm 15 years old, pretty short, and have blonde hair and blue eyes. I live with my mother, who I favor about 90% in looks.

Singing is my hobby, and my best friend Lena enjoys it as well. In fact, we met in our 7th grade chorus class two years ago. Now we're in 9th grade chorus at our private high school here in New York City.

"Lena! Where are you? I've been waiting for 10 minutes! We're going to be late."

"No we're not. I'm about to turn the corner now. Just haul over a taxi and I'll be there in like, 2 seconds." She said through her panting.

I hung up the call and walked over to the curb to see an empty taxi slowly making its way to where I was standing. I started waving my hand in the air to get the driver's attention.

"_HEY_! Taxi! Over here!"

I looked over to see a guy about my age waving the taxi over to him.

"Oh no you don't!" I shouted, waving my arm and jumping up and down. The taxi didn't know who to go to; him or me.

He finally decided to stop in the middle of us, and motioned for us both to get inside.

He looked at the driver, and then over at me, and shrugged his shoulders. We both headed toward the taxi door, and the boy held the door open for me. I looked around to see where Lena was, but then my phone buzzed.

_Go ahead without me I'll meet you there. My mom called me back to my house. See you there._

I sighed and thanked the guy holding the door for me.

He slid in beside me and closed the door.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

I looked over at the boy, and he motioned for me to go first.

"Broadway." I said.

"5th Avenue." The boy said.

"We'll hit 5th Avenue first since it's closer." The driver stated while pulling off into the traffic.

"So, what are you going to Broadway for?" He asked me.

"I'm auditioning for a musical in the public theatre club. What are you going to 5th Avenue for?"

"You're interested in musicals? And I'm just meeting up with my older sister."

I nodded and said, "Oh okay. And yeah, I love to sing. I was waiting for my best friend to come with me, since we're trying out together, but she has to meet me there."

He nodded. "Well, I'm Christian. What's your name?"

"Ava. Pretty simple, huh?" he laughed. "Yeah, that's simple alright."

"This is pretty random, but I'm pretty interested in theatre. And I really don't feel like meeting up with my sister. Would you mind if I came with you? You know, to watch?"

I thought about it. "Sure, you can come. Just tell the driver."

He told the driver not to worry about 5th Avenue. It really wasn't a huge concern since we've been sitting in the same spot for 10 minutes.

"When did you become interested in singing?" Christian asked me.

"I don't know, I've pretty much always been interested. I'm always in chorus at school, and I try my best to try out for musicals. It's good for my resume."

He nodded. "That's cool."

"Yeah, when did you become interested in acting?"

"Not too long ago. At the beginning of the year I think." He smiled, revealing his braces.

I had braces too.

"You have really pretty eyelashes." He said to me, pretending to bat his eyes like a preppy girl. I laughed and said, "Thanks."

"You know, you're pretty funny. I'm sure you'd be a great comedian."

His cheeks turned to a fiery red color. "Thank you."

Christian pulled out his cellphone and handed it to me. The screen was asking for a new contact name and number.

I filled in my name and number and handed it back to him.

"So we can keep in touch." He said, smirking.

I handed him my phone and he did the same, and then handed it back to me.

My phone buzzed and I looked at the screen. I had a new text message from Lena.

_I'm so sorry. I can't make the audition! I'm so bummed. Good luck!_

I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket.

"What's wrong?" Christian asked.

"It's Lena. My friend. She bailed on me again. This is the second time this week."

"Aw, I'm sorry. She's missing out." He said, placing a hand on my thigh, trying to comfort me.

"I just can't believe I have to audition alone."

"What play are you auditioning for?" He asked.

"High School Musical." I stated, looking over at him and blushing. It was such a girly type of play.

"Really? I could try out with you. What part are you trying out for?"

"Gabriella. Even though I'm not Hispanic in any way, and don't look anything like her." I smiled and looked down at my hands.

"Well acting isn't really about looking the part all that much in musicals. I could try out for that Troy Bolton guy, if that makes you feel any better."

"Really? Would you? That would be awesome!" I exclaimed.

"We're here." The driver stated, his voice flat.

Christian and I looked at each other. "I'll pay. Go ahead." He said.

I smiled. "Thanks so much."

I pushed the door open on my side and walked around the car to the sidewalk and waited for Christian.

"Are you sure you're going to try out with me?" I asked him. "You really don't have to."

"No really, I want to do this. I'll just text my sister and tell her that I'm doing an open audition."

He sent his sister a quick message and then grabbed me by the arm and we ran inside to pick up a script of the scene we had to act out.


	4. Cassidy

_**Cassidy's POV:**_

My eyes leaped open when I heard a loud crash downstairs in my living room, followed by my mother screaming, "_GET OUT!"_

Then I heard loud footsteps, and the door slammed. My mom was still yelling and throwing things even though my dad had already left. I got out of my bed and walked down the stairs slowly, so my mother couldn't hear me.

She did anyways. "Who's that on the stairs?" I saw her make her way to the railing and look up at me.

"Cassidy, what are you doing up?" she asked, trying to hide her anger. I didn't say anything, just stood there.

"_Well?_" I asked you what a question. Am I gonna get an answer?" she said, pushing the limits a little bit.

I shook my head quickly. "Um, I just had to go to the bathroom." I turned on my heel and ran back down the hallway and into my room.

As soon as I closed the door and walked over to my bed, my phone buzzed.

_New message from Chad_ the screen said. Ah, my best friend. He must have heard what happened from next door.

_Is everything OK? I saw your dad storm out. Do you want me to come over?_

I smiled at how sweet he always was. It's what, 2 am, and he's willing to give up his nice summer sleep to comfort me, like he always does.

_Only if you feel like it…I don't want to mess with your summer sleeping(: _

There was a ladder laid up against my house outside one of my bedroom windows, leading all the way up past it and to the 3rd story, so he would climb until he reached my window, and tap on it 3 times. That was our signal, and it's been our signal for a long time.

I heard him tap 3 times, and then quickly opened the window and closed it before my mom could hear anything. She didn't know about Chad's late night break-ins.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked, as he walked over to my bed and sat down.

"Yes. I'm ok."

Chad and I met a while back, in the 3rd grade. We were outside for recess, and this group of girls who were "all that" back then were picking on me. So Chad, the guy they all happened to think was cute, stormed over and told them to leave me alone. We've been friends ever since.

He's really the only friend I have. Sometimes, he invites me out with his friends and we all go to the movies or go play a game of basketball on the weekends. Basically, I don't get along with an of the girls in our neighborhood, or at out school.

They always talk about me behind my back, and wonder why Chad hangs out with me. Chad is the "hot jock" of our high school, but he's not a mean jock, he gets along with everyone. All the girls love him, but none of them know anything personal about him like I do.

Like, his favorite color is orange, he likes to draw, and he's really not interested in having a girlfriend, although he gets at least five secret love notes shoved in his locker every day. He always lets me read them, and always says how dumb struck the girls in our school are.

He has black hair that swoops around his head, blue eyes, and tan skin. He's about four inches taller than I am, and has an awesome smile. He's always smiling. It was his personal trademark. The thing everyone knew him for was being the quarterback on our high school's football team.

"What happened?" he asked, laying back and closing his eyes.

I walked over to my bed and lay down next to him. "I don't know. I just woke up to a loud crash, and my mom screamed at my dad and told him to get out. Then he left."

"I guess they just got into a heated argument." He replied, looking over at me. He sat up.

"Cassidy, you look really tired. You should really get some sleep. I'll stay here with you."

"Well, where are you going to sleep?" I whispered, afraid my mother would hear and come up to my room.

"Where I always sleep when I break in here late at night. With you."

My face heated up, even though I've known him for a while, he still gives me butterflies sometimes.

Whenever he comes over late at night like this, he _did_ sleep in my bed, but no one ever knew anything about it except for us. It was our little secret. Sometimes, if he was having a tough day, I would sneak over to his house at night, and we'd sleep in his bed.

It was just something we did. We never thought anything of it.

"Alright."

He got up and tucked me into one side of my bed like a little baby, and then walked around to the other side and got under the covers next to me.

"Goodnight Cassidy. See you in the morning."

"It's already the morning." I said, smirking. He totally hated it when I acted like a smart ass.

"Oh shut up! Then I'll see you later this morning, alright?"

I laughed and said, "Yeah, alright. Goodnight."

I closed my eyes, and tried my best to fall asleep. I guess Chad could feel how tense I was, so he rolled over and wrapped his arms around me.

"Everything will be fine Cassidy. It always is. He'll be back tomorrow. He always is."

I nodded and placed my hands over his. They felt warm and comforting, just what I needed. He always new how to make me feel better.

I released the tension in my shoulders and just lay there, trying to make myself tired. I was growing more tired and tired by the second.

"_I hope so."_ I thought to myself. Then I drifted off to sleep.


	5. Jade

_**Jade's POV:**_

My life is so over.

Marissa, my archenemy, posted nude baby pictures of me throughout the whole entire high school!

How did she even get those pictures?

Oh yeah, that's right. Marissa and I used to be best friends. We shared everything: pictures, clothes, and accessories. But then one day, everything changed.

It all started when a new guy came to our middle school last year. He was super cute, tall, and had gorgeous eyes. His name is Logan.

She wanted him, and so did I. She would always tell him bad things about me, thinking that he agreed with him. But little did she know, that he had moved in right down the street from me, and rode my bus.

So we started talking, and the we started hanging out, and then we started dating. Marissa was totally pissed off.

She told me I was the worst best friend ever, and then she convinced half the 9th grade student body to turn against me, and I didn't even do anything, except get my first boyfriend.

He was all right for a first. We haven't kissed yet, and I plan on keeping it that way. Kissing usually leads to something more, and I am NOT ready for that.

I was racing all around the school and tearing down all the posters Marissa had splattered over the walls.

As I raced through the halls, people were pointing at me and laughing.

Some people they all were. Where was Logan when I needed him?

"Jade! Jade wait up!" It was Logan's voice behind me. I turned around and glared at him.

"You were supposed to keep her from doing this. What happened?" I asked him, angry.

"I don't know! She told me she wasn't going to do it, but-"

"When Marissa says she's NOT going to do something, it normally means she WILL. I can't believe you fell for that stunt! She always lies!"

He grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "Jade, you need to calm down. Everyone has gone to class now. Let's just get a pass, and I'll help you get these things down."

I sighed as he dragged me to the main office to get a pass.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"No."

He sighed. "Jade, I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah, _trying._" I said, my voice flat.

"Let's go so we can hurry and get to class."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't feel to good."

"What do you mean?" he asked, stopping and standing in front of me.

"Do you feel sick to your stomach, or just dizzy?" he asked, placing the back of his hand on my forehead.

"Sick to my stomach. I need to go to the nurse."

"Yeah, it looks like you have a fever." He grabbed my hand again and turned in the other direction toward the nurse.

"If you end up going home, I'll finish getting all of the posters down for you. I don't know why you're so embarrassed though. These pictures are from when you were a toddler."

"So? People still make fun of pictures like that. And since a whole half of the 9th grade student body don't like me, it doesn't help my image."

"Well, I like you." He said, smiling at me.

I tried my best to smile back. "I know."

When we got to the nurse's office, Logan told the nurse that I was feeling sick. Then she called my mother, and my mother was now on her way to pick me up.

"Okay, well, I'm going to miss you today." Logan said, hugging me.

"Oh please, you live right down the street from me." I said, hugging him back.

"I know. I'll be over right after school. And I'll bring you your homework."

He was just too sweet. "Aw, thanks."

Logan was always really nice. Not just to me, but to people in general.

"Oh, and don't talk to Marissa. Just because I'm not here, doesn't mean you can talk to my enemy."

"What makes you think I'm going to talk to her?" He asked, irritated that I didn't trust him.

"Well, you always do." I said, raising an eyebrow. I wasn't playing around.

"Nice to know you don't trust me." He said, turning away from me.

"Oh shut up, you little baby." I wrapped my arms around him from behind.

He laughed, and then the nurse called me over and told me my mother was here.

I turned and waved goodbye to Logan, and he waved back, then turned around to go finish taking down all of those horrid posters.

"So when did you start feeling sick?" my mom asked, unlocking the car door.

"Just a few minutes ago." She nodded and we got into the car.

"You better not have called me just cause you don't feel like being here." She said, backing out of the parking lot.

"No, that's not why. I seriously didn't feel good. I felt like I was about to throw up."

She nodded and kept driving. "Well, I'm going to drop you off at home, and go back to work. Is that boyfriend of yours coming over after school?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he said he was going to come by."

"Alright. Just make sure nothing happens." She said.

"Only you would say that mom." I said, laughing.

When we pulled into my driveway, I got out of the car and walked up the front walk, and unlocked the front door so I could go inside.

Then I turned around, waved to my mom, and she backed out of the driveway, and sped down the road.

I just threw my bag onto the floor in the foyer, walked into the kitchen, and started raiding the refrigerator. I got some yogurt and sat down on the couch in the living room and turned to MTV.

I ate and watched reruns of Jersey Shore, and waited for school to be over so Logan would come over. But when 2:00 came around, and the bus stopped at our bus stop at down the street, Logan didn't get off the bus.

Then my phone buzzed. I had a new text message.

_Sorry, can't come over. I'll give you your homework later on._

Well that was awkward. He's never cancelled on me without giving me a reason why.

I shrugged and walked back over to the couch and sat down.

I started to wonder what Logan could be doing that he wouldn't tell me about.


	6. Gracie's message for Justin

_**Gracie's POV:**_

"How old are you?" Cassandra asked, in her full interviewing uniform. She always wore this outfit when she was interrogating a new potential friend of mine.

"16." Justin replied, fidgeting.

Cass was wearing her glasses, which you rarely _ever_ see on her face, unless she's reading. And she never reads.

"What compelled you to approach my little sister?"

I giggled, then turned around and left the two of them alone in the office, but I decided to stand outside and listen.

"Well, she was singing, and I ended up listening, so I walked over to her and told her she sounded great."

"Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law?" She was on a roll. Usually, she wasn't this serious. But Justin is a boy. Most of the time, she's dealing with a girl.

"No, I haven't." I could tell he was struggling with his answers. He seemed pretty hesitant.

"If you looked at a glass of water filled halfway, would you say it was half full, of half empty?"

I never understood why she asked people this. What does it have to do with anything?

"I'd say half full."

I could tell Cass was peering at him through squinted eyes, and Justin was antsy in his seat. I felt so bad for him.

"Would you ever intentionally try to harm my little sister?"

"No, of course not. I promise, I'd never do that."

"Alright, you're all good." Cass stated, setting her glasses on the desk.

I didn't even have to be in the room to know her interrogation routine. The two of them were heading to the door, so I quickly ran into the living room as quietly as I could, and sat on the couch.

Cass and Justin appeared in front of me seconds later, Justin looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Dude, are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you." Cass said, looking at Justin with an apologetic look.

"N-no, really I'm f-fine." Justin stuttered, while making his way over to me.

I laughed. "So what do you want to do?" I asked him.

"Anything…as long as it doesn't involve me being in a closed off space."

My jaw dropped. "Are you claustrophobic?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Cass gave me a _'Oh crap, I'm out of here'_ look.

"I'm so sorry! Why didn't you say anything?" I pulled him over to the couch and sat him down.

"Do you need anything?" I asked, staring at him now.

He shook his head. "No, I think I'll be fine."

"Aw, now I feel all horrible." I said, slumping my shoulders.

He placed his hand on my thigh. "It's ok, you didn't know."

I looked over at him and smiled. Then he looked around my living room.

"Wow. This is a _really_ nice place you got here."

"Thanks."

"Do you guys have to uh…pay the bills yourselves?" He asked, looking away from me. I made him turn back to look at me.

"You don't need to feel bad when you ask me questions like that. It's nothing, really. And no, this house was paid off a long time ago."

"So…do you guys have to get jobs in order to pay for everything else?" He kept his attention on me this time, but was hesitant.

I shook my head. "No. Family wealth."

He nodded. "That's nice. Well, can we go somewhere, a little more private? I have to tell you something."

Just then, my sister's head popped in the room from the kitchen.

"Somewhere _private?_" Cass asked, quickly walking into the room.

I stood up. "Nothing was going to happen."

Justin stood beside me. "Seriously, we weren't going to do anything. I just wanted to tell her something. But I guess I should tell you too…since you two seem to not know already."

"You mean that you're teen pop star Justin Bieber? We already knew." Cass and I said in unison.

He looked shocked. "You knew? I didn't get that impression."

"Well, we're not the type to go gaga for a famous person." Cass stated.

"_UNLESS,"_ I began, "it's Robert Pattinson. _THEN_ I'll go gaga."

Cass laughed. "I don't know what you see in that guy. He's not even cute, and he's married."

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I should probably run now, right?" She asked.

I nodded slowly, and she turned around and started running for the foyer.

I chased after her, screaming "TAKE THAT BACK!" at the top of my lungs.

She ran up the stairs to the second floor and ran into her room and shut the door. "Yeah, you better stay in there, you WEREWOLF! TEAM EDWARD ALL THE WAY!" I screamed, then ran back down the stairs and into the living room.

Justin was laid out on the floor laughing his head off. "What are you laughing about?" I asked, standing over him. His face was turning the color of a tomato.

I knelt down beside him and smiled. "Dude, breathe!"

He inhaled, and then kept laughing.

I shoved him. "What is so funny?" I really wanted to know what he was laughing at.

"You…you're _TEAM EDWARD?"_ he continued laughing.

"Oh…so you're team Jacob? Gross, you filthy mongrel!" I chuckled, and he finally stopped laughing and sat up next to me.

"What's a mongrel?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Anything that's a crossed mix of different things. Which is what a werewolf is."

He just stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

He just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing."

"So…how come you were out in public without a disguise?" I asked.

He shrugged. "There weren't many people out."

I nodded and stood up. "Well, what do you want to do now?"

He looked up at me. "I don't know. You could show me your room I guess."

"Okay, follow me."

As we were walking toward the stairs, Justin looked around.

"This is a lot of space for just two people."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"How many floors are in here?"

"Four."

He raised his eyebrows. "Wow, four? That's insane."

"Right?" We were on the second floor now, passing my sister's room.

"You guys better not do anything inappropriate up there." Cass said, as we passed her bedroom door.

"I'm not gonna kill you if you come outta there Cass."

She opened her bedroom door and smiled at me. "Okay good."

Then she turned and headed downstairs.

"What floor is your room on?" He asked, staying close behind me.

"Do you want the light on? I can't sense that you're uncomfortable."

"Yes please." He said, his voice small and quiet.

I flipped on the light before we headed up to the 3rd floor. "My room is on the 3rd floor. The 4th floor is our library slash writing room. We use it for, well, reading and writing."

"That's so cool. You're so fortunate."

"So are you." I said.

"Well, now I am. I wasn't before."

"Well in my eyes you were. I know parts of your story Justin. You're more fortunate than most people. Money isn't the only thing people want."

I turned to face him as we stood in front of my bedroom door.

"What do you mean?" He asked, puzzled.

"You have a regular, loving family. I don't. I mean, I have my sister, and I love her more than anything, but I don't have a mom, or a dad, or my little sister. _You do."_

His jaw dropped, and he just stood there. "I-I'm sorry Gracie."

I sighed. _"Don't be._ I don't want you to be sorry. I just want you to know that you're much, much more fortunate than I _ever_ will be."

He nodded, and pulled me in for a hug. I wasn't expecting this, but I hugged him back anyway.

He pulled back and looked at me. "I'll remember that next time."

I nodded and smiled. "Good. Now come on."

I turned around and opened the door to my bedroom.


	7. Ava being mistreated?

_**Ava's POV:**_

"_And…CUT!"_

Christian let go of me, and smiled. "You were great." He whispered.

"That was great you guys. Send the next pair in!" the director shouted. The assistant hurried over and escorted us out of the auditorium.

"You were really good Christian." I said.

"Thanks. So…what do you want to do?" He asked, holding the door open for me.

"I was planning on going out to eat. What do you want to do?"

"Food sounds good. Where do you want to go? I feel live Olive Garden."

I spun my head around to face him. "_Olive Garden?"_

He nodded and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Olive Garden. What of it?"

"Isn't that place for like…couples? And isn't it pretty expensive?" I asked him, waiting for his response.

"Not really, and no, it isn't that expensive."

I nodded. "I see."

"Well where do you wanna eat?" he asked, looking away from me.

"If you really want to eat at Olive Garden, then you can…"

"And ditch you? No way. Come on! I'm paying."

"No Christian, you paid for my taxi ride AND yours. If anything, I should be paying."

He shrugged. "Let's go!"

He grabbed my hand and we ran across the street while cars honked and screeched to a stop.

"Christian! We weren't supposed to cross the street yet!" I shouted, my voice full of fear.

"Who cares? I'm hungry!"

We ran for 3 blocks, and finally ended up at an Olive Garden. "Ah, finally." He said.

We walked inside, and a waitress smiled at us. "Welcome to Olive Garden. Table for two?"

Christian nodded without hesitation. I was still trying to catch my breath.

"Okay then, follow me."

She led us to a table on the 3rd floor next to a window. We could see the busy people of New York City rushing their way to places on the sidewalk.

As soon as Christian saw the menus, he grabbed one and said, "I know what I want."

I slowly turned toward him. "Dang. I haven't even picked up the menu yet."

He laughed. "Slowpoke."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, and looked through the menu. I didn't want anything super expensive, so I decided to stick with a salad.

"Hello, my name is Christina. I'll be serving you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

Christian motioned for me to go first. "I'll take a water."

"I'll have a coke please, thanks." He was gawking at Christina, and I have to admit, I was a little bit jealous.

"Alright, I'll be right back with those drinks. Would you like to start off with any appetizers?"

"Mozzarella sticks!" Christian responded.

"Alright. I'll put in that order." She smiled at him and walked away.

I looked down at my hands. "What's wrong?" I heard him ask.

Looking up at him, I shook my head. "Nothing."

"My goodness, Ava, are you _jealous?_" He said, in a girl voice.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I have to admit, yeah, I was. A little. _Just_ a little."

"Well, she ain't got nothing on you." I blushed, and then felt my phone vibrate.

**1 new message**

**From: Lena**

**Hey, how was the audition?**

I sighed and typed my reply.

**It was great. I met a guy named Christian in the taxi, and he auditioned with me. It was fun.**

"Is everything okay?" Christian asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah."

**1 new message**

**From: Lena**

**You auditioned with someone else?**

I read the message and rolled my eyes.

**Well **_**you**_** didn't come. It was going to happen anyway.**

She never replied.

"Here are your drinks, and your mozzarella sticks." Christina placed the tray of cheese sticks right in the center of the table, and Christian grabbed a handful.

She laughed and said, "Are you two ready to order?" She never even glanced at me. I mean, how old was she anyway? She had to be at _least_ twenty. So why was she hitting on a fourteen-year-old?

Christian motioned for me to order first. Christina looked kind of annoyed, but turned to me anyway.

"What do you want?"

Um, rude much? "I'll just have a salad." I stated, glaring at her. She immediately looked away from me and looked at Christian.

"And you?"

I tuned out of their conversation and started going through my phone, so I could at least look like I was doing something.

When Christina finally walked away from the table, I looked around at all the angry customers. Apparently, she was waiting more than just us.

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem…mad about something."

"Nope. I'm perfectly fine. I'm just gonna…uh, powder my nose in the bathroom."

I smiled and raised an eyebrow as I got up and stalked into the bathroom. I was seriously considering not coming back to the table, so Christina could hog Christian all day.

But after I finished being angry in the stall for about ten minutes, I decided to get back to the table. Our food was just arriving.

"Some date _you_ are." Christina said to me, as she placed Christian's food down neatly in front of him. I just stood there in disbelief as she literally threw my food onto the table. Half the food flew off into the table.

"Oops." She said sarcastically, and then walked away.

"That's it, I'm leaving."

Christian was just sitting at the table, bewildered as I took money out of my pocket and paid for half of the meal.

Then I shoved my phone in my pocket and stormed over to the escalator and rode down until I got onto the 1st floor.

"Ava, wait!" I heard Christian behind me. I ignored him and pushed my way through the revolving door.

Then I felt his hand on my shoulder and he spun me around.

"I'm sorry about all of that. I reported Christina to the manager. He's taking care of her now. I don't know what her problem is."

Oh, so he actually got rid of her? I thought to myself.

"I don't know if I want to go back in there. Everybody was staring."

"And everybody was staring when we did our audition today. Who cares? It's life. Everybody watches everybody." He said, grabbing my wrist.

"Now come on. I'm hungry."

"But what about _my_ food. It was legitimately thrown onto the table."

"They're remaking it."

I took a deep breath and followed him back into the resteraunt.


	8. Cassidy meets someone new

_**Cassidy's POV:**_

Someone was shaking me. "Cassidy. Cassidy, are you awake?"

It was Chad. I opened my eyes and turned over to look at him.

"Yeah, I'm awake _now._ What is it?" He smiled and got out of my bed.

"I was just telling you that I'm going home." He whispered.

I felt kind of sad. "Oh, alright. Thanks for coming over."

"Anytime."

He opened my window and slipped himself out, and climbed down the ladder.

My room always felt empty whenever he left.

I looked at the time. It was 8:00am.

"Hey Cassidy! Can you go to Dunkin Donuts and get some donuts please?" My mom shouted to me from down the hall.

I groaned. "Yeah, sure mom."

She was always wanting donuts.

I made my bed and then headed into my bathroom to get myself ready for the day, since I apparently wasn't sleeping in.

"Hurry up Cassidy!" My mom shouted.

_Why don't you get your own damn donuts? _I thought to myself.

I threw on some shorts and a tank top and walked out of the front door. This wasn't going to be a very short walk. I had to get out of the neighborhood first.

Instead of taking the usual route, I decided to take a shortcut.

When I got to the neighborhood lake, I saw a guy walking his dog. I've never seen him around here before, so I'm guessing he lives in one of the other parts of the neighborhood.

He turned and looked at me and waved. "Hi." He said.

I smiled at him. "Hello."

"Are you just out for a walk?"

I shook my head. "Nope. My mom is making me get donuts."

He laughed a little, and then looked down at his dog.

"I see you're just out for a stroll." I pointed out, motioning to his pet.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's my turn to walk him."

"What's his name?"

"Butsy."

I laughed. "_Butsy?_ What does that stand for?"

He laughed with me. "Well, my last name is Butler, so I just decided to name him something close to it."

"Clever." I stated.

"Yep. Well…um, do you mind if I came with you? You seem kind of lonely."

I smiled and nodded. "Sure, you can come."

As we walked and talked, I started to learn a lot about him. He was the same age as I was, but he went to the high school for the kids on the _other_ side of our neighborhood.

His name in Ryan Butler, and he loved to play basketball, just like me.

When we reached Dunkin Donuts, we didn't even realize it because we were so engrossed on our conversations.

"Oh look, we're here." Ryan started, pointing to the building.

I blinked as I looked up, because the sun was right in my eyes.

"Yeah, I guess we are."

Ryan stayed outside with his dog while I went in and ordered the box of donuts. When I got back outside to him, he looked over at me.

"I have to hurry and get home. I have to babysit." He said, starting to walk.

"Oh, okay." I answered, walking a little behind him.

When we got all the way back to the lake, he looked at me and waved.

"Nice meeting you!" Then he was off.

I smiled to myself and then brought the box of donuts home to my mother.

"_Finally!"_ she exclaimed when I walked through the front door.

"Oh, and by the way, Chad is upstairs in your room. He came over a few minutes ago."

I smiled to myself and ran up the stairs to my room.

I swung the door open. "Hey Chad!"

He turned around from where he was standing and just looked at me, arms crossed.

"I saw you went to Dunkin Donuts with someone else. Someone that _wasn't_ me." He said, walking over to me.

My smile faded. "Um…well you had just left…so I didn't want to bother you again. And I just met that guy. How did you even know I was with someone else? He didn't even come to my house."

He quickly looked down at his feet. "Um…"

"You were _spying_ on me!" I shouted, smiling.

"No! No, I wasn't…I-"

"Yes you were! Oh my gosh, why were you?"

He sighed and walked to my bed and sat down. "I don't know. I mean, I'm just so used to you asking me to come over and hang out. I guess I was just upset you didn't ask me this time."

I stared at him, as he twiddled with his fingers. "Seriously?"

He nodded and looked up at me. "Yeah."

I shook my head. "Well, it's good you can be that honest with me."

Chad got up and hugged me. "I'm sorry I got so upset."

I squeezed him. "It's alright. If you didn't get upset, I wouldn't have known that you even cared."

He laughed and we sat down on the floor and played cards.

"I win!" He shouted, throwing his cards in my face. "_Again!"_

I shook my head and picked them up. "I declare a rematch!"

"For the _fifth_ time? Okay, but be prepared to lose again!"

"Oh, I don't think I'll lose this time! Five is always my lucky number!"

He laughed at me. It was always so much fun hanging out with him. He was so funny.

"Hurry up and shuffle the cards!" he said, staring at me.

"Okay! You know what? You do it!"

I handed him the cards and he shuffled them in 5 seconds. He outdid me at everything.

"I hate you Chad." I said, smiling.

He stopped shuffling and looked me in the eyes.

"…Really? Because, I never thought you did."

I didn't realize he was so close to me until now. Then he started to lean closer to my face. I didn't know what to do. I've never been kissed before.

Before I knew it, his lips were on mine. My stomach did a bunch of flips, and then he pulled away.

He was smiling at me. "I've always wanted to do that." He placed his forehead onto mine.

"I…didn't know that." I said, staring into his eyes. They were such a distraction.

"Well, you know now."

He kissed me again, and I totally forgot about playing cards. This was so much better.


	9. Jade loses her temper

_**Jade's POV:**_

After I finally finished my homework, I decided to go out for a little walk. I felt like I needed some fresh air.

It was warm here in San Diego. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I thought about how Logan was supposed to take me to Malibu this weekend to celebrate our three-month anniversary.

I smiled at the thought. It would just be us two, and no one else. _Except_ for the people that will be on the beach around us.

There wasn't a specific place in my mind to go to, so I decided to walk to the neighborhood park. I saw a bunch of neighbors walking their dogs, riding bikes, and jogging up and down the sidewalks.

They would smile at me and wave, and I'd wave back. The classic neighborly gesture.

I wanted some peace and quiet, so I walked over the little bridge the was built over the pond, and headed to an open field.

When I got there, I heard some people talking. One of the voices sounded familiar.

I walked in the direction the noise was coming from, and found my boyfriend with the hoe of our school: Marissa. My ex-best friend.

I stepped on a leaf, and Logan spun around, and spotted me a few feet away from them.

I couldn't believe this. This was the reason he couldn't come over? He had a secret date with my best friend.

I wouldn't even be surprised if he was in on the plan Marissa had to put my baby pictures all over the walls in our school.

His face turned from a shocked expression to an apologetic expression. Marissa didn't look to happy either.

I shook my head and turned around to start walking home.

"Jade, wait!" I heard Logan get up and start to follow me.

I didn't stop walking. I was in no mood for this.

He doesn't know what I went through to get him to finally like me. I had to jump through hoops to get him to even glance at me.

That night at Marissa's party was when we got together. The best night of my life. Or so I thought.

"Jade, please, wait!"

"No."

I pushed everything Logan out of my mind. I went through so much to get him to realize how great I was, and he gives me this.

"Just leave her Logan. Obviously, she doesn't care about you enough to listen to what you have to say." Marissa said.

That's where I drew the line. I balled up my fists, and turned around.

Logan saw my temper, and moved out of the way.

I sprinted in Marissa's direction and pounced on her.

"Get _off_ me!" She shouted, squirming underneath me.

"You _ass!"_ I shouted, the punched her right in the nose.

"_Ow, my nose!"_ Her nose was bleeding. It was obvious that it was broken. It was already swelling up.

I got up, and walked away from the both of them. I didn't even help her up. Why should I? She didn't care about me or how I felt anymore.

"Logan, don't just stand there! _Help me!" _Marissa shouted from where she lay in the grass, her hand clasped over her nose.

I should have turned around and punched Logan, but I couldn't do that.

When I finally got home, I was so angry. I don't think I've ever been so done in my life.

"What's wrong with _you?"_ My mom said. I didn't even realize she was home.

"Nothing." I pushed past her and walked upstairs and into my room.

I walked over to my dresser and looked at the picture of Logan and me. I had it framed. Whenever he came in my room, he would pick of the picture and talk about that day for hours.

The picture was of the two of us in LA, holding hands. His sister took the picture from behind.

I always smiled whenever I saw it, but today, I had no emotion. I felt betrayed, let down, lied to.

But I couldn't blame it all on him. Half of this was my fault. I was too dumb and blind to see the signals he was giving me.

Last week, he left my house abruptly, and didn't give me a reason.

A few days ago, he told me to meet him at the mall, and then he never showed up. I waited for a whole hour. That's how much I had allowed myself to trust him. And he repays me by cheating.

I walked over to my trash can and dropped the picture inside.

"Hey, what are you doing with our picture?" I looked up to find Logan standing at my bedroom door.

I didn't answer. I just walked over to my bed and sat down. He took the picture out of the trashcan and set it back in place on my dresser.

"Why'd you throw it away?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

I still didn't reply. I was afraid that if I did, I would burst into tears.

"Jade, please talk to me."

I shook my head. "No."

"Ha! You talked to me." He wrapped his arms around me, and I pushed them off. Then I placed my head in my hands.

"Jade, will you let me explain? I swear to you I wasn't cheating."

I sighed, signaling that he could start talking.

"I was telling her that I was dating you because I liked you. A lot. And that she couldn't change that. I told her I wasn't going to ruin anything because of her stupid plans to break us up…"

I turned to him and placed my hand over his mouth. "Really?"

I asked, staring at him. He nodded, and I felt his smile underneath my hand.

How was I supposed to stay mad at him? I never could.

"And…you know you broke Marissa's nose right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that was my intention."

He laughed. "Well, I'm sorry I made you so upset."

"It's fine."

He wrapped his arms around me again, and this time, I didn't pull away.


	10. Danni's Room

_**Gracie's POV:**_

"Okay, I officially want your room. You know, minus all the girly things."

Justin walked around my room and looked at everything with amazement.

"I can't believe you have a room with two floors. Do those stairs lead to the 4th floor?" He asked, walking toward them.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's the secret passage way."

"This is just too cool."

I laughed and walked across the room to meet him at the stairs. "You want to go up there?" I asked.

He nodded.

I led the way up the winding stairs, and we ended up in a huge room full of books and office supplies.

"Whoa. That is the biggest desk I've ever seen." Justin stated, walking over to the desk against the far side of the room.

"I know. Our dad came home with that about five years ago. It's my favorite thing in the house."

He looked over at me. "Really? Well I can see why. It's so…huge!"

I smiled at his excitement. He walked over to a door that was a few feet away from the desk.

"What's this?" He asked, opening the door.

It was another staircase, but this one was winding downward.

"Where do these lead to?" Justin asked, his voice still bouncy and happy.

"Danni's room." I said, looking down at my feet. He quickly closed the door and walked over to me.

"I'm-"

"It's okay Justin. If you want to see it, I'll take you."

He looked a bit unsure, so I just grabbed his wrist and lead him down the stairwell.

I opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and let the cool air of Danni's vacant room wash over me.

Justin tightened his grip on my hand. "If you don't want to go in there, we can go back."

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. I secretly sleep in here sometimes anyway…when I stay up thinking about her…"

I felt Justin's body stiffen, so I pulled him into her room.

"Is there a light?" Justin asked quickly.

"You won't feel closed in in this room. It's pretty big."

I felt him nod, and I turned the light on, revealing all of Danni's belongings.

"Wow, she has a lot of stuff." Justin said, pulling me along with him this time.

"What's this?" He had dragged me over to her dresser, scattered with her ribbons, medals, and trophies. But the main things that she had on this dresser were pictures of the three of us.

"Are these pictures of you and your sisters?" He asked, picking one of them up.

I nodded. "Yeah. That's when we went to New York City to see our first Broadway play."

He nodded. "What did you see?"

"The Lion King."

"I heard that was a good one."

"It was. Danni absolutely loved it. She didn't stop talking about it for a week."

I smiled at the memory.

"What's this a picture of?"

"That's us in Jamaica. We all agreed that that was our favorite vacation."

He smiled. "You look really pretty in this picture Gracie."

He gave my hand another squeeze. "Thanks."

Justin picked up another picture. This one made my heart start to hurt. Every time I saw it, I remember her so clearly.

"What's this one?"

A sob escaped my mouth and I covered it with my hand.

Justin turned to look at me. "Gracie, don't cry! Look, I'm putting it down-"

"No! No, I'm fine. That's just…that's the last picture I ever took with her."

He was silent for a minute. "Where were you when you took it?"

"In our backyard in the hot tub. For some strange reason, she was all over me that night. She wanted to hang out with me every second. She made Cass take this picture. I'm just really glad I have it here."

He placed the picture down and wrapped his arms around me. I didn't realize I was sobbing until now.

"Gracie, I'm so sorry. I know you miss her." I squeezed him tightly. He as the only thing keeping me from falling out onto the floor like I usually did.

Whenever I came in here, Cass would always find me passed out on the floor. She wouldn't take me back to my room. She would lie right next to me on the floor, and hold me while I was asleep.

I calmed down a bit, and Justin rubbed my back.

There was a shuffling noise by the door, and we looked over to find Cass leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"Are you okay Gracie?" She asked, walking over to us.

I let go of Justin and she hugged me.

Then I heard her laughing. "You must feel really…awkward right now." Cass said to Justin. I heard him laugh little.

"No, actually I think it's just one of those moments."

I pulled away from Cass and wiped my eyes.

"You okay?" Justin asked me. I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay."

"Well, isn't it getting pretty late? It's 8:30." Cass said, looking from me Justin to me.

"Yeah, I bet my mom is getting worried."

"I'll leave you two alone for a moment." Cass said, walking out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, Justin held out his phone.

"Put your number in." He insisted. I punched in my number and he grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and typed his number into my contact list.

"I'll call you later." He said. When he got to the staircase, he hesitated.

"Um, Grace? Could you um, come with me?" He held out his hand without looking away from the dark stairway.

I smiled and walked across the room and grabbed his hand. "Sure."

When we finally got to the top, Justin quickly leaped into the room and pulled me with him.

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring at him as he stopped short.

He looked around, and then turned back to me.

"This…" He said.

He leaned in and kissed me. Not just a peck, but one full of meaning.

When he pulled away, he smiled at me. "Are you going to be here tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'll be here. Why?"

"I want to come back over. This place is so much cooler than my own."

I stared into his eyes for a moment.

"Oh, you want to come see my room?" he asked.

I nodded. "Definitely."

"Alright. Uh, how about tomorrow afternoon? I'll pick you up."

"Sounds good."

He kissed me on the cheek and led me all the way back downstairs to the foyer. He seemed to learn my house in only a few hours.

Cass was at the bottom of the stairs.

Justin kissed me on the cheek. "See you tomorrow."

He opened the front door and closed it quietly behind him. I smiled, staring at where he was just standing.

"Someone's got a future boyfriend!" Cass shouted, quickly walking over to me.

"He totally likes you! And don't think I didn't see him kiss you earlier."

I stared at Cass with wide eyes. "You saw?"

She nodded. "Yeah. That was so sweet. He's just so adorable with you."

I hugged her, and she squeezed me back.

Maybe she was right. Maybe I _did_ have a future boyfriend coming my way.

I smiled at the thought of Justin picking me up tomorrow.

_I can't wait._ I thought.


	11. Lena messes everything up

_**Ava's POV:**_

When I finished eating, I set down my fork, and sat back to watch Christian eat.

He ordered so much food, that my small bowl of salad only had a corner of the table.

"Wow." I stated, my arms folded over my chest as I watched him.

"What?" He said through chewing. That was so gross.

"Nothing."

He nodded and continued shoving food into his mouth.

After about ten more minutes of watching, he finally put sown his fork. Then, he burped _so loud_ that everyone in the room around us turned to stare.

I sank down into my seat and tried to hide my face. Christian just laughed.

"Christian! Shut up!"

"Aw c'mon! You have to admit, that was funny!"

I shook my head. "You are so embarrassing."

He laughed and then called a waiter over. "Check please."

He nodded and headed to the desk to get our check. Then Christian looked at me.

"Did you think this was…fun?" he asked, twiddling his fingers.

I nodded. "Yeah, it was."

He nodded again. "Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure I was boring you."

"Trust me, you're not boring."

The waiter handed Christian the bill, and he started to pay for it.

"Wait! I want to help pay." I said, pulling money out of my pocket.

"No, I got it." He said, waving me off.

I sighed and sat back, and watched him place money in the little folder, and then place a tip on the table.

"Come on, let's go." He stood up and helped me out of my seat in the booth.

He led me to the escalator.

"Wait, I have to go to the bathroom." I said, letting myself out of his grip.

He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll be waiting out front."

I slipped away from him and walked into the girls' bathroom. As soon as I walked around the corner and saw the stalls, I saw a group of girls at the mirror applying makeup.

"Did you see how cute that guy was?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, I know right? Why was he with that blonde anyway? I mean, he ordered all this food and all she got was a salad. What a waste of his time." The other said.

It was obvious that they were talking about me. When they finished making themselves look fake, I quickly walked out of the bathroom and hid behind a nearby plant.

When they were out of sight, I hurried back into the bathroom and rushed back out. I didn't want Christian to be waiting for too long.

I walked down to the escalator and walked outside to meet Christian.

At first I didn't see him, but then when I turned to my left, I saw him. But he wasn't alone.

He was with Lena.

My face started to heat up. Why was he talking to her?

I got a little curious as to why she was even out here, so I quickly walked up to them.

"Hi." I said, as I walked up behind Christian.

He turned around to face me. "Hey, this is Lena." He said.

I was taken aback. "I know. She's my best friend." I said, peering at her through squinted eyes.

"You two know each other?" He asked, looking confused.

"We've known each other since the 5th grade." Lena said, looking at me.

_Four years too many _I thought to myself.

"Um, is everything alright? You two seem…"

"Pissed?" I finished.

"Betrayed?" Lena responded.

"How long have you two known each other?" I asked them.

"I met Lena a few weeks ago." Christian stated, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Oh. Okay."

So that's the reason she's been bailing on me all this time. She was with Christian.

Why didn't she tell me she met him? She always tells me everything. She's been sneaking around all this time, and I've been believing her crazy little stories about how she had to bail on our plans.

"Is Christian the one you auditioned with?" Lena asked me.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason." She looked a little mad, but then she quickly got rid of the face she was making and smiled at Christian. Then she linked her arm in his.

"Well, do you two want to walk around? I could introduce you to my sister Caitlin. Lena's already met her." He said.

My heart sank. She's already met her? "Oh. Well, uh, no that's okay…I have something else I have to do anyway. You two can hang out without me."

I didn't even let him respond. I just turned around and pushed my way through the crowd of people on the sidewalk and kept on walking.


	12. Cassidy Likes Ryan

_**Cassidy's POV:**_

When Chad pulled away this time, he had a serious look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Nothing. I just…I have to plan something special for later on. So I'm going to go make some arrangements."

My heart sank. "So, you kiss me, then go make arrangements for something special with someone else?"

He looked confused. "What? No! I was making them for you and me. You know…us." He said, blushing.

I smiled and said, "Oh…alright. Can't wait to see what you come up with."

He nodded and walked over to my window. "See you later."

Then he ducked out and was gone.

"Cassidy!"

"_WHAT MOM?"_ I shouted back.

"Can you go pick up some more food? I'm hungry!"

"Why can't you go get _your own_ food?" I asked, walking out into the hallway.

"I don't feel like it. So can you please hurry? I'm hungry."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine."

I slid on some flip flops and walked down the stairs.

"Where do you want me to get food from?" I asked, impatiently.

"Um, I don't know, McDonalds?"

"Figures." I stated, as I walked to the front door and opened it.

"I'll be right back."

I stepped outside onto my front porch, and then walked down my front walk and onto the sidewalk.

"Hey." I heard someone say to me from behind.

I spun around to find Ryan smiling at me.

"Um, hi. What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I was just visiting a friend over here. I didn't know you lived in this area of the neighborhood."

I nodded. "Yeah, I do. Which part do you live in?"

"The far east section."

"Oh, okay."

"I see you're headed out again. Where are you going this time?"

"McDonalds. My mom made me go get _more_ food." I stated, rolling my eyes.

"Really? Why?"

"Because she and my dad had an argument last night, and whenever he leaves the house, she stuffs herself with food."

"Aw, I'm sorry about that. Did he come back?" he asked, looking toward my house.

I shook my head. "Nope. Most of the time, he comes back the next day ready to apologize. But he hasn't shown up yet."

He nodded. "Wow. Sorry."

"It's okay. I'd better get going." I said, starting to walk away. I heard him still behind me, shuffling awkwardly.

Without turning around, I said, "You can come if you would like."

He immediately appeared by my side. "Okay cool."

I laughed and we once again walked and talked, and forgot that we even had a destination to go to.

This time, I pointed to the McDonalds building. "We're here."

He nodded. "Yep."

When we walked inside, we both ordered and waited.

My phone buzzed, and I looked at the screen.

**1 New Message**

**From Chad**

**Plans cancelled.**

I was confused.

**How come?**

I walked over to a table and sat down. Ryan sat in the seat opposite me.

**1 New Message**

**From Chad**

**You're with him again. Why?**

I sighed.

**Why does it matter? I thought we established that we both liked each other. It shouldn't matter whom we hang out with.**

No reply.

I rolled my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

"It's my best friend. He's a guy. And he just told me that he…wanted to be more than friends earlier. And he's mad that I'm with you for the second time today."

He raised his eyebrows. "So you like him too?"

I nodded. "I think so. I'm not sure. I want to find out."

"Well, good luck." Ryan said.

I noticed the lady behind the counter placing two big bags onto the counter.

"That's ours." Ryan said, walking over and grabbing the bag.

"Let's go." I said.

When we got to a point in our big neighborhood, Ryan turned to me.

"This street is the way to my house." He said, pointing to his left.

I nodded. "Alright. See you around."

He started walking off in the other direction, and I continued walking to my house.

I walked inside my front door, and handed my mom her food.

"Thanks!" She ran into the living room and devoured everything.

This time, she didn't tell me that Chad was upstairs in my room waiting for me.

When I got to my room, it was empty. I walked over to our window, and looked across the way into his room. I saw him sitting at his desk.

I picked up something that was next to me, and pelted it at his window.

He looked up, saw mw, and then walked to his window.

I thought he was going to open it and come over, but he closed the blinds instead.

My heart sank. How did I make him so mad? I just met Ryan, and I've known Chad for six years! What's there to compare?

If I had to choose Ryan or Chad, Chad _knows_ I would choose him.

I started to loose my temper, and pulled out my phone.

**Look, I know you're pissed at me, but I'm just here to tell you that even if you want to start talking to me again, you won't be able to. I don't want to be bothered with this.**

I clicked send, and lay down on my bed. I was too angry to do anything, so I decided to take a short power nap.

As I tried to doze off, I kept replaying Ryan and I's hang outs. He was fun, cute, funny, and really sweet.

"I don't need Chad." I stated.

Right then, I realized that I wanted Ryan.


	13. Jade meets Chaz

Logan and I ended up watching a movie together. He told me since he made me so upset, that I got to choose what movie we watched. So in order to irritate him, I chose Twilight.

"Ugh, I _hate_ this movie!" he whined, covering his eyes.

"I know." I said, smirking at him.

"Oh, that's totally not fair! You chose it on purpose!"

I started laughing. "Yes, yes I did."

"I'm gonna get you for that." He said, smiling and pointing an accusing finger at me.

"Whatever you say."

"_Jade!_ Get down here! There are some new neighbors, and there's a guy about your age over there. Let's go introduce ourselves."

I sighed. "But mom, I'm with Logan right now."

"_I don't care, _get down here." She said. Logan looked at me, and tried not to laugh.

I rolled my eyes. "That's not _even_ funny."

"Well come on, let's go before she comes up here."

Logan led the way down the stairs and out onto my front porch. The guy was moving in right across the street from me. I didn't even know that house was for sale.

I spotted my mom talking to a woman in the driveway of the new neighbor's home. I'm guessing she was the mom of the guy my mother saw.

"Let's go." Logan stated, pulling me down the front walk.

"I don't feel like doing this." I said, slacking behind him.

We finally made our way across the street, and the two of us stood next to my mom.

"This is my daughter Jade, and her um…_boyfriend_ Logan."

The woman laughed. "Nice to meet you two. I'm Lee."

I shook her hand, and then Logan did.

"Hey Chaz! Come out here and meet the neighbors."

I saw a tall, brown haired boy walk outside from the garage, and start walking toward us.

He was better looking than Logan. Logan sensed my reaction, and squeezed my hand. Hard.

"Hey." Chaz said, nodding to us. He was looming over Logan and me.

I could tell Logan didn't like him already.

"This is my son Chaz. He's fifteen."

Lee, his mother told us.

I smiled and nodded, while looking him up and down. Logan squeezed my hand harder this time, and just stood there, obviously angered.

"Why don't you go show Chaz around Jade?" My mother asked.

"Okay!" I said, a little too quickly.

"Wait just a second. Jade, we need to talk."

I sighed and let Logan drag me across the street.

"What are you doing?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"What are _you _doing?" I asked, crossing my arms too.

"This isn't funny. I can see what you're doing."

"Then why are you asking me?" I asked, starting to walk away.

"Are you breaking up with me?" He asked, pulling me back.

"Um, no?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Calm down Logan."

We walked back over to where Chaz was standing, and I grabbed his wrist. "Come on, let's go."

Chaz followed us across the street. I had no idea that bringing Chaz into my life, was going to make it a living hell.


	14. Gracie gets ditched

_**Gracie's POV:**_

The next morning, I woke up and started to get ready. I didn't know when Justin was planning on picking me up, but I wanted to be prepared.

"Hey Gracie, I'll be right back. I'm going to the store to pick up a few things."

"Okay!" I shouted, continuing to look for something to wear.

I finally decided on a magenta colored dress, with a black sweater top to go over it, and some black converse. I didn't want to appear too dressy.

After I got dressed, I curled my hair, since it was oddly stick straight this morning.

My phone buzzed.

**1 New Message**

**From Justin**

**I can't make it today…how about tomorrow?**

My heart sank just a little.

**Oh, alright. That's fine.**

I walked over to my dresser and pulled out some sweatpants and a tank top.

If I wasn't going anywhere, then I wasn't going to wear this dress around the house.

I threw on the sweats and slapped my hair up into a bun.

**1 New Message**

**From Justin**

**Please don't be mad at me.**

I raised an eyebrow as I replied.

**Why would I be?**

I put my phone down and walked downstairs and into the kitchen to get something to eat.

I decided to get some cereal, since I wasn't all that hungry. Then I walked into the living room to watch TV while I ate. Nothing was really on, so I turned to MTV.

"_Justin Bieber was caught with Disney star Anna Margaret today, both coming out of a local Dunkin Donuts. There didn't seem to be much going on, but we'll find more of that out later."_

My stomach dropped, and I dropped the remote.

So that was his reason for not being able to meet me? I felt really stupid.

How could I have been so dumb? Justin Bieber? Liking _me?_ Now that I thought about it, it didn't even add up.

The way we met was a coincidence, and everything else was just…I don't know what to think of it. Not anymore.

I thought back to yesterday when he kissed me.

That was my first kiss. Wasted. Gone.

I couldn't take that moment back. I shook my head while standing up to put my bowl into the sink in the kitchen.

Cassandra wasn't home, so that meant I couldn't go anywhere until she got back. I wouldn't want to freak her out by not being here when she returned.

I shouldn't be getting so over-worked with that Justin-Anna stuff. Maybe it was just for business…although that would be odd, since Justin doesn't work with Disney.

I shrugged it off and walked back upstairs to my room. My phone was vibrating repeatedly when I walked over to my bed, where I had left it.

**5 New Messages**

**From Justin**

I sighed and opened them all.

11:00

**I thought you'd be mad because I couldn't pick you up today.**

11:05

**Hello?**

11:10

**Gracie?**

11:15

**Please don't be mad at me! I promise I'll make it up to you.**

11:20

**I guess you're not talking to me anymore…**

I rolled my eyes and dialed his number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello? Gracie, I'm so sorry!" Justin said, his voice full of guilt.

"Calm down Justin. It's no big deal. Unless you count ditching me for Anna Margaret a big deal." I said, twirling my hair around my finger.

He was silent for a few seconds. "You heard?"

"Yeah."

"I promise you, we aren't dating. I just met her this morning, and she dragged me to get some coffee. That's all that happened."

I shrugged, even though I knew he couldn't see me. "Whatever. I mean, it's not like I can tell you to stay away from her. I'm not your girlfriend."

He was silent again. "Yeah, right."

"Well I have to go. My sister just got back from the store, and I have to help her."

I hung up before he could get the chance to say anything else, and started my way down my hallway.

Cass wasn't expecting me to be here, so she jumped when I called her name.

"Gracie? I thought you were out with Justin."

"Nope. He ditched me for Anna Margaret. He just called and said he was sorry, and he tried to make it, but it's whatever."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Are you serious? That's crazy! He was totally acting like he was into you yesterday!"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed some bags from her hands. "Yeah, I guess."

"Grace, don't get too upset about this. You should give him another chance."

"I don't give second chances." I replied quickly, without turning around to see her reaction.

I heard her sigh, and walk out to get more bags.

I was putting things away when I felt someone grab the item in my hand, that just so happened to be a can of beans, and place it in the cabinet above me.

"Hey." Justin said, looking at me.

I grabbed another can out of the bag and placed it into the cabinet.

"Hi." He sighed and hopped onto the counter.

"Gracie…" he started.

"Nope, save it. I don't want to hear it."

"I was just going to tell you again that I was sorry. There really wasn't much I could do. She's very demanding."

I shrugged, and walked across the room to throw the empty plastic bag away.

Cass walked into the room and stood next to the counter, opposite Justin.

"Gracie, I told you to give him another chance."

I turned around and looked at my sister. "And I told you that I don't give second chances."

Justin looked hurt, but I ignored him and walked over to the pantry.

"You give me second chances." She said. I could feel her eyes burning through me.

"That's different. You're my sister, and my only source of family left. You can't compare that to this."

"Gracie, you're just being stubborn." Cass said, walking over to me.

"No, I am not."

She grabbed my hand and led me out of the house, and onto the porch.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"You're letting something get to you that doesn't need to bother you. Just let it go. It wasn't his fault."

"It wasn't Danni's fault she got kidnapped and _killed.___But we haven't let it go." I said. I could feel Cass's body stiffen.

"You know that's not what I mean." She said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I sighed. "I just don't want to be bothered."

"Well, Justin could be a friend to you. Don't mess that up." She said. Then she walked back into the house, and upstairs to her room and closed the door.

She was making me do this alone.

I walked back into the kitchen and found Justin still sitting on the counter, messing with his hands.

He looked up when he heard me walk in.

"You want me to leave now, don't you."

I felt guilty. "No…I was coming to apologize…" I said, trailing off and looking down at the floor.

"You don't need to apologize. I do."

"You have. Twice." I stated, so he wouldn't say it again. "And, it's okay. I understand."

I couldn't bring myself to look at him, but I could feel him staring at me.

Then he hopped off the counter and walked over to me. "I truly am sorry. If you want, we can leave now…"

I tried to smile, but my mind wouldn't let me. "Okay."

So I told Cass that we were leaving, and she quickly made her way down the stairs to see us off and out the door.

Justin opened the passenger side door open for me, and I stepped inside.

Then he jogged to the driver's seat, hopped in, and we pulled off.


End file.
